MULTIPLE STYLI ANNOTATION SYSTEM
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a surface;
one or more receiver subsystems each placed at a respective set of selected locations relative to the surface, the selected locations being to define a working area on the surface, each receiver subsystem including;
an electromagnetic signal sensor operative to receive electromagnet signals from one or more styli when the one or more styli are operating in the working area, each stylus including a stylus tip, a power source, a transmitter of ultrasound energy, at least one transmitter of electromagnetic signals, and a receiver of electromagnetic signals,an electromagnetic energy signal transmitter operative to send electromagnet signals to one or more styli when the one or more styli are operating in the working area,at least one ultrasound signal sensor operative to receive ultrasound signals from the one or more styli when the one or more styli are operating in the working area,wherein in the case the receiver subsystem includes at least two ultrasound signal sensors and the apparatus is operative with only one receiver subsystem, two or more of the signal sensors of the receiver subsystem have a pre-defined or a determinable spatial relationship to each other,wherein in the case the receiver subsystem includes only one ultrasound signal sensor, the apparatus includes two or more the receiver subsystems whose respective ultrasound signal sensors have a pre-defined or a determinable spatial relationship to each other; and
at least one controller coupled to the one or more receiver subsystems and operative in combination with the one or more receiver subsystems to cause coordination of the transmitting by the styli, and operative in combination with the one or more receiver subsystems to determine the location of the one or more styli in the working area when the one or more styli are operating in the working area, such that more than one stylus can operate at the same time in the working area.
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Abstract
A method, a software product, e.g., as logic encoded on one or more tangible media, and an apparatus for stroke capture and retrieval that works with an annotation capture and recording system that can operate with several styli active at the same time, and/or that can be formed using a plurality of panels, e.g., flat screen displays or projected displays to form a large working area.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a surface; one or more receiver subsystems each placed at a respective set of selected locations relative to the surface, the selected locations being to define a working area on the surface, each receiver subsystem including; an electromagnetic signal sensor operative to receive electromagnet signals from one or more styli when the one or more styli are operating in the working area, each stylus including a stylus tip, a power source, a transmitter of ultrasound energy, at least one transmitter of electromagnetic signals, and a receiver of electromagnetic signals, an electromagnetic energy signal transmitter operative to send electromagnet signals to one or more styli when the one or more styli are operating in the working area, at least one ultrasound signal sensor operative to receive ultrasound signals from the one or more styli when the one or more styli are operating in the working area, wherein in the case the receiver subsystem includes at least two ultrasound signal sensors and the apparatus is operative with only one receiver subsystem, two or more of the signal sensors of the receiver subsystem have a pre-defined or a determinable spatial relationship to each other, wherein in the case the receiver subsystem includes only one ultrasound signal sensor, the apparatus includes two or more the receiver subsystems whose respective ultrasound signal sensors have a pre-defined or a determinable spatial relationship to each other; and at least one controller coupled to the one or more receiver subsystems and operative in combination with the one or more receiver subsystems to cause coordination of the transmitting by the styli, and operative in combination with the one or more receiver subsystems to determine the location of the one or more styli in the working area when the one or more styli are operating in the working area, such that more than one stylus can operate at the same time in the working area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method comprising:
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receiving electromagnet signals from one or more styli when the styli are in a working area defined on a surface, each stylus including a stylus tip, a power source, a transmitter of ultrasound energy, at least one transmitter of electromagnetic signals, and at least one receiver of electromagnetic signals, each stylus in a working area transmitting ultrasound and communicating using electromagnetic signals, receiving ultrasound signals transmitted from one or more styli when the styli are in the working area, the receiving being in at two or more ultrasound signal sensors, the at least two ultrasound signal sensors having a pre-defined or determinable spatial relationship to each other; and determining the location of the one or more styli in the working area when the one or more styli are operating in the working area; wherein the transmissions of ultrasound by the one or more styli are coordinated such that more than one stylus can operate at the same time in the working area. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. Logic encoded on one or more tangible media, the logic when executed by one or more processors operative to carry out a method comprising:
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receiving electromagnet signals from one or more styli when the styli are in a working area defined on a surface, each stylus including a stylus tip, a power source, a transmitter of ultrasound energy, at least one transmitter of electromagnetic signals, and at least one receiver of electromagnetic signals, each stylus in a working area transmitting ultrasound and communicating using electromagnetic signals, receiving ultrasound signals transmitted from one or more styli when the styli are in the working area, the receiving being in at two or more ultrasound signal sensors, the at least two ultrasound signal sensors having a pre-defined or determinable spatial relationship to each other; and determining the location of the one or more styli in the working area when the one or more styli are operating in the working area; wherein the transmissions of ultrasound by the one or more styli are coordinated such that more than one stylus can operate at the same time in the working area.
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Specification